Wrecking frog



jan. I7, T928. 1,656,621

w. P. DAVIES WRECKING FROG Filed April 22. 1927 H//fz-f' ff OR E Patented Jan. 17,' 1928.

,UNITED STATES WILLIAM PERCY- DAVIES,

or Jamaica., new sonia.

Wanexrne niece.

Application filed `April 22,

My invention relates to wrecking frogs, i. e., devices forV replacing derailed railway cars on their tracks. Wrecking frogs in common use are spiked to the ties, at one side only of each rail, and the flange ork `flanges. of one or both of the Wheels frequently squeeze in between the frog and the rail. This forces one or l both the frogs out of place, and the whole work of replacing the car must be begun again.

The object of my invention is to provide a frog not subject to this fault and an 1mproved frog of the type that st -raddles the rail, `which is alike at both sides `ofthe space for the rail so that thesame frog can be used to replace alwheel regardless `of whether ythe wheel has dropped olf: to the right or the left of its vrail `and regardless of which direction it may be desirable to move the car in replacing it. p

The wrecking frog of my invention comprise-s a. pair of substantially similar `and plain faces inclined upwardly Vtoward one end and a pair of vertical directing flanges on the two faces converging toward but ter-` minating short of the adjacent sides of the rail at saidfend; these vertical flanges eirtend beyond the portion or portions of the device which straddle the rail.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. l is a perspectiveshowing two frogs orreplacers in place at their respective rails, apair of car wheels being shown in broken lines. Fig. .2 `is a plan view of one of those replacers.v Figure 3 is a section thereof on the line IIIe-III ol" Figure 2. vFigure 4 is an end elevation, looking toward the convergent end of the replacer. Figure 5 is an end elevation looking at the opposite end of the device.

l and 2 are opposite rails of the track, and the two replacers shown in Figure l are alike and the description of one will serve as a description of the other. As shown. the replacer comprises a pair of substantially similar substantially plain wheel-receiving faces 5 inclined upwardly toward one end (the righthand end in Figs. 2 and 3). Preferably these faces rise abruptly at the divergent or wheel-receiving end as vindicated at 6, and more gradually from thence to the opposite end of the device.v These faces 5 are connected by a strong member or members passing above the rail; preferably there are two of these straddling members as shown at 7 and 8, one being rather near each 19er:` serieu No. realzar.

end` The abrupt rise, as ,represented at 6, permits the inclined faces to beV strongly tied together by the straddling member or one of them (e. g. member 7)' quite closeto this wheel-receiving end of `the device. n AThe straddling member or members, tying the two faces rigidly together, prevent the replacer being forced away from the rail as will be obvious. `Vertical flanges El and 10 converge toward each other atihe `elevated (righthand) end of the faces 5 and toward the sides of the rail, termin'atingishort of and not reaching the sides of the rail how'- ever as appears from the drawing. Furthermore these flanges 9 and l0 extend beyond (to the right of) the straddling member or members as appears in Figs. 2 and 8; the straddling member orjmembers T-8 are necessarily higher than the top surface of the rail and so much of the surfaces 5 as cx:

tend from the straddling memberor mem- ,bers to the convergent ends of the flanges maybe depressed slightly, inclined downwardly, if desired. as indicated in the drawings. This last permits the wheels to ride `smoothly downwardly on the frog toward the rail for some distance` rather than drop `abruptly from abovethe straddler to the rail, and (for the wheels derailed between the rails) tends to cause the ,flanges `of these wheels to go tothe `proper side of the rail rather than by dropping. fromabove the `straddler tothe rail, perhaps cross vther-ail and again drop tothe ground. The flanges 9v and lflexjtend'y above the faces` distances `less than the height of the flange on a car wheel, so that as the car whe'els'rol'l` up the inclines 5, resting on their flanges, the treads of the wheels can extend across the flanges 9 or 10 (as the case may be) without striktitl ing them. Underneath the faces 5, ther flanges 9 and l0, extend downwardly for a or horizontal "members theV divergent end of the device. the flanges, i

flanges, are also arranged to rest on the flange of the rail as indicated at 17 and likewise on a tie. Pointed pins 19 may be provided to pierce the ties to help hold the device against the thrust of the car wheels when first striking the device. It will be observed however that the device is not only adapted to be supported on ties carrying the rail, but also for supporting the replacer' entirely on the rail itself in emergencies.

In operation, ordinarily one of these frogs is applied to each rail as indicated in Fig. l. The derailed car is then pushed or pulled along to make its wheels ride up the inclined faces (3f-5. The flange of the inside wheel i. e. the wheel grounded between the rails, t e wheel 20) 1s guided by the adjacent flange 9 or 10 of its frog, so that as this wheel leaves the convergent end of the fronr it rests on its rail. The opposite or outside wheel (21 in Fig. l) is pulled into place by the inside wheel, as it rolls up its own frog. In order that the outside wheel 2l may not strike and bind against the side of its rail as the flange of the wheel 2O ,and the co-acting flange 9 or lO of the frog pull the pair cross- Wise of the road bed, the flanges 9 and 10 must both be sepa-rated from the space for 'the rail a distance at leastV equal to the width of a rail, at a point (i. e. at 22) where the faces 5 reach substantially the saine height as the rails.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited to the details of the frog illustrated and described, except as appears in the following claims: y

1. A wrecking frog comprising a pair of substantially similar substantially plain faces inclining upwardlytoward one end2 straddling means connecting said faces and arranged to pass above the rail, vertical directing flanges on the two faces converging toward but terminating short of the adjacent sides of the rail at said end, said :flanges extending beyond said straddling means at said one end of the device, and flange means to support the said faces, each of said faces rising abruptly adjacent their lower ends and more gradually thereafter and said straddling means connecting said faces together adjacent the point where the slope changes.

2. A wrecking frog comprising a pair of substantially similar substantially plain faces inelining upwardly toward one end, two separate straps connect-ing said faces and arranged to pass above the rail, one of said straps being adjacent each end of the device, vertical directing flanges on the two faces converging toward but terminating short of the adjacent sides of the rail at said end, said flanges extending beyond said straddling means at said one end of the device, and flange means to support the said faces and to rest on the flange of the rail at both sides of the rail web and afford support at both ends of the device.

3. A wrecking frog comprising a pair of wheel-receiving faces inclining upwardly toward one end, straddling means connecting said faces and arranged to pass above the rail, vertical directing flanges on tlie two faces converging toward the adjacent sides of the rail at said end, said faces and flanges extending beyond said straddling means-at said end of the device, and means extending below the top of the rail between said con vergent end of the device and the straddling means, to support the convergent end of the device.

et. The device of claim l, characterized by the fact that between the straddllngr means and said end of the device, the wheel-receiving faces are inclined downwardly to permit the wheels to ride down the same toward the rail after passing the straddling means.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

WILLIAM PERCY DAVIES. i 

